Saturday, November 28, 2009

We just opened a small Etsy shop on-line. Most of the soap featured in the blog will be found for sale on Etsy. The very first Etsy listing is the Opal Gem Chunk pictured below. This is a composed, opalescent soap that is fragranced with sweet orange, cinnamon and clove essential oils.

Opal is the birthstone for October (heads up, Librans!). The scuttle is that if the lovely opal is worn by a person not born in October, it brings bad luck.So - if you love opals, but are superstitious and not among the October-born, grab one of these soapy gems.

If you live in the Dallas Cowboys country of Valley Ranch, look for our soaps at Java Me Up!

You can visit both Etsy and Java Me Up! sites by clicking on the addresses to the right of this post. Please visit soon!Yours in love, peace & beauty....

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Thanksgiving should be every day. I hope that you have had a wonderful day while counting your blessings. Each and every day I attempt to practice mindful gratitude. Personally, I find this practice keeps me in a more accepting, peaceful and content state of being. It is easy to fall into the 'woe is me' mentality and lose sight of the real wealth of my life.

This gratitude practice is on my daily "to-do" list - which is a tad disturbing that I need such a list. Being grateful should be as natural as breathing....

Above is an Emerald Gem Chunk soap, scented with herbs and a drop pf patchouly to anchor the delicate green fragrance. The beautiful emerald is the birthstone for the merry month of May. I, however, think this emerald soap mirrors nature as we turn the page of the November calendar to December. The evergreen trees in the backyard are dropping some of their needles. There is a definite chill in the air that will undoubtedly lead to a few ice storms in my neck of the woods. Christmas will be here before you know it - and a New Year.

I hope that your holidays are safe, sound and filled with peace, love and gratitude.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Above is the Amethyst Gem Chunk, scented with pure lavender and geranium essential oils. Amethyst is the birthstone for the month of February. The stone also has interesting legends and lore. One such belief is that amethyst is beneficial for sobriety and fidelity.

To soften the jarring effects of sobriety, I believe that lavender is the most relaxing essential oil and may well take more than a few edges off. Hmmm...I had better stock my bath with a few dozen of these gems.

On a more serious note, if stress or sleeplessness is a part of your life these days, book a massage and request it with lavender oil. You may want to designate a driver for this event.

I take lavender oil, drop it into my bath or onto my shower floor and let the steam infuse it. Pared with the Amethyst soap - and a locked door - this soak and/or scrub can be very calming.

A few drops of lavender essential oil mixed with a carrier oil (or body lotion in a pinch), massaged into the soles of my feet, transforms me into a kinder, gentler soapmaker.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

The soap studio, perhaps in homage to a hot process soap batch, has spilled out of headquarters. Soaping is now all over the double garage, the house - and do not even ask about the kitchen, dining room! It is beginning to look a lot like Santa's workshop minus the helpers.

It is a divine and blessed occupation - thank Goddess.

Soapmaking is truly a labor of love .... and you know what they say about love!

Rose Quartz is representative of Venus, the Goddess of love, beauty and all things female. Oddly, I never cared for roses, or their divine fragrance until the last few years. I now see what I have been overlooking all of this time.Roses are heavenly.According to Ayurveda, imbibing a few drops of rose water can cool you down in the summer (try it next summer - it works).The fragrance and vision of roses is legendary for evoking and conveying feelings of love.Precious oil of rose can rejuvenate skin.Am I the only person who considers rose water a pantry staple?

We have a new contact address: angelicsoap.cs@gmail.com !! Feel free to drop us a line if you want a stash of what is in Santa's workshop for any of your holiday needs.

If you send us an email, please be patient. Rambo, our very beautiful customer service representative, will contact you as soon as he is fully awake.

Monday, November 9, 2009

My birthdays are not as much fun as they were in earlier days. That is sad - and just plain wrong thinking on my part. As I get longer in the tooth, I need to realize that every day is a gift. Indeed, each birthday should be very happy and wildly fun! I should kick up my heels with joy! One thing about birthdays that seems more pleasing is my slowly-growing collection of birthstones...ha! (Emphasis on s-l-o-w-l-y)

Inspired by birthstones, I decided to create an entire calendar of soap dedicated to each month of the year. Pictured below is the Topaz/Citrine Gem Chunk, the birthstone soap for November.

This Topaz/Citrine Gem Chunk is a glycerin and goat's milk soap with many different micas for color and varying degrees of opacity/transparency/translucence. Included in the mix are layers of ground vanilla beans, cloves and sea salt.

The Topaz/Citrine soap is scented with a gorgeous fragrance of amber resin, spicy ginger, clove and the tiniest pinch of vanilla. This is one of my favorite soaps! It is visually beautiful. The fragrance is subtle, yet sensuous. Forget the birthstone part, this Topaz should be November's centerfold!!

Topaz comes in different colors, but yellow is the color typically associated with this magnificent gem.

Precious topaz is the symbol of friendship. It is November's gemstone, as well as the state gem of Utah. Who knew?The gold and yellow of this sparkly soap makes me want to crank up REM's "Shiny Happy People" and dance....

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Above is a photo of my assistant, Rambo, awaiting the next batch of soap. He looks tired, doesn't he? We have been working very hard to fill orders. Our partner-in-business, Chandra, also pitches in. We depend on Chandra for his invaluable help, primarily the marketing, sales and public relations end. He also whips up batches of cold process soap when needed (no small feat). Chandra is responsible for the photos and documentation of our products. What would we do without him?!There is another show coming up on Saturday, November 7 in Valley Ranch. The facility is at the corner of Valley Ranch Parkway and MacArthur in Irving. This show benefits the USO, a very worthy cause. Please stop by! Price of admission is a child's book. The show is from 9 - 4 this Saturday. Stop by and say hello! We have some new "birthstone soaps" to unveil. They are quite lovely. In fact, I am bedazzled by them! Special pricing for these soaps! Get them while they are available!Rambo, Chandra and I need to have some coffee, or a nap. Rambo thinks that he needs a snack, or a dozen, or two dozen....

I make handmade soaps with premium ingredients that are beneficial to skin and senses. My soap is designed, made, cut and packaged by hand - from start to finish.The cold process soaps start with food grade oils and fats, preferably organic. From there, I add various luxury ingredients such as exotic butters (mango, shea, avocado, almond) and amendments to enhance the particular recipe at hand. Some amendments include calendula, rose petals, French clays, coffee, green tea leaves, herbs, honey, yogurt, nuts, seeds, oats. All of these additional items are carefully chosen to enhance and enrich the soap's purpose and meaning. The soap is aged from 1 - 24 months to ensure mildness. The cold process soaps are usually made in limited editions of very small batches (1-2 lbs). These soaps can be custom-ordered, allowing enough time for the cure (minimum of 1 - 2 months).Most of my soaps are suitable for vegans, as the base is typically olive, coconut and other food grade vegetable oils. I also make milk-based soaps (goat, cream, half and half). There is also a lard-based recipe that is excellent for winter use (non-vegetarian).Personally, I find myself returning to that last soap again and again in the bath. It is "old fashioned" with lard, olive and coconut oil, oatmeal and orange oil. I cut it into oversized wedges, like an oat and honey cake. It is nice to have on hand.

For special occasions, I will produce novelty soaps that are usually glycerin-based, melted and poured into molds. There are many themes to choose from - angels, peace, holiday, valentine's day, Celtic (see above photo of Celtic Knot), gardening soaps, floral, wine grapes, gemstones, sea salt and crystal birthstone/geode soaps. I have wine and chocolate soaps ( a romantic choice for St. Valentine's Day), as well as beer soap for St. Patrick's Day. I typically have fun with this last soap by using Irish stout, goat's milk and Irish oats! Very good for the skin! If you have a particular event in mind, I can suggest some soap varieties. These soaps usually have a 1-2 week turnaround, depending on the amounts ordered.What you will not find in my soap: Sodium Laureth Sulphate, Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, Artificial Colours, Propylene Glycol and Parabens. I use natural and food grade colorings. I use essential oils for scent, but sometimes the cold process "eats" up the some of the pricey essential oils at an alarming rate. Then, I may turn to fine, yet skin-friendly fragrances for a stronger scent.None of the soaps are ever tested on animals, although Rambo tries to nibble the packaging from time to time (especially if it is shiny).The soaps are put to the test on Chandra and myself. The dogs and cats get shampooed with the products after quality control. The cold process Triple Mint with mint leaves and parsley swirls is especially good for summer. The pets enjoy the emollient properties of an Oat (both rolled oats and colloidal) Cake with honey, citrus and emu oil (not for vegetarians!) in the cooler months.All of these fine products are made in America.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Chocolate and mint combine two of my favorite flavors in one lovely concoction. Above is a photo of my Chocolate-Mint Soap, created with 3 kinds of mint essential oils, cocoa butter, swirls of dark chocolate and topped off with cocoa nibs.

Someone actually tried to bite this soap bar!

Although it sounds like a novelty, this bar of cold process soap is very mild and pleasing to the senses and the skin.